The feud between Stone Cold Steve Austin and Bret Hart is arguably one of the most important storylines of the 90s, as it kickstarted what would eventually become WWE's "Attitude Era." Years later, during the anniversary of the "Montreal Screwjob," Hart returned to Montreal for the "Johnny I Pro Show," where he looked back at his history with Austin.
"We just always had a good chemistry...I think I had a lot to do with Steve going to WWF in the first place," Hart claimed. The veteran then explained that he always tried to get Vince McMahon to bring new talent on board, and criticized his former boss for letting Austin go to WCW. "I had just heard from somebody that Steve Austin had been let go or had just re-signed, I think, with ECW."
Hart further claimed that he also questioned McMahon on not trying to scoop Austin up again, and with the ECW deal, McMahon finally took action and signed him within a few months. "So, I had a lot to do with Steve coming to the WWF in the first place, so when he did arrive, I was like: 'There you are!' Like, 'I was the one who was trying to get you in here!'"
When it came to Stone Cold Steve Austin's ability, Bret Hart boldly proclaimed that his former rival was a really good wrestler who wanted to work hard and make a difference. "So, I think the fact that we just had a really good chemistry in the beginning led to everything else," he added. "The WrestleMania 13 match was... We fought at Survivor Series, which was a really good match too." Hart, looking back at Survivor Series 1996, claimed he did everything he could think of in that match, and putting the match together with Austin allowed them to just wrestle at WrestleMania 13 because of the chemistry they'd built.
"The Hitman" then criticized the concept of the "I Quit" match, noting that he even complained to Vince McMahon, but that he and Austin ultimately made the best of what they were given.
"I always loved the match for so many things," Bret said. "Even the blood, you know, I mean, just to be frank and honest, nobody would be, probably, talking about that match today if there wasn't blood in it."
Some consider his WrestleMania 13 match against Austin as the greatest match of all time, but Hart felt that was a bit presumptuous.
"I don't have any problem saying that was the greatest match of all time, although that's impossible to say, but it was just such a beautiful story," Hart said.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Johnny I Pro Show" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
